The Columbus Blue Jackets are just one win away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. And they might do it in a sweep against the heavily-favored, record-setting, Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning.

That’s right. The top-seeded Lightning, who were the highest-scoring team in the NHL during the regular season, might fall to wild-card team Columbus after being outscored 12-5 so far in the first-round series.

And with the possibility of a sweep, the staff at Nationwide Arena in Columbus had to consider what many would have thought unthinkable only a few weeks ago: whether to allow Columbus fans to bring brooms into the arena.

Team USA has faced Team Canada in every IIHF Women’s World Championships final. But this Sunday, the gold medal match will feature a new rivalry: Team USA against the hosting Finns.

Finland made history Saturday when they upset Team Canada, making it to the gold-medal game in an international tournament for the first time in program history. This will be the first time in the 19-year history of the tournament that the final won’t be exclusively North American.

Last summer, the Washington Capitals were victorious, bringing home the Stanley Cup. The Capitals were the first DC sports team to win a championship since the 1992 Washington Redskins.

On Thursday, the puck will drop at 7:30 PM, marking the beginning of the Capitals’ defense of the Cup. The team is being supported by all the major sports franchises in the DC area, who wished the Capitals good luck in their back-to-back bid.

That work has paid off and Dowd will be with the Caps for the next three years, signing a three-year, $750,000 average annual value deal with the Caps on Thursday. It’s a $100,000 raise per year from his $650,000 contract.